1. Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. I was sooo excited when I heard the Fug girls were writing a YA novel. And I was sooo disappointed when I didn't enjoy it very much.
2. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. After enjoying The Thief, the first in this series, I was super keen to read The Queen, having heard from a bazillion and one people that it was ah-mazing, and even better than the first. Unfortunately it frustrated the hell out of me.
3. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I love, love, loved the movie version of this growing up, and I also adore Burnett's The Secret Garden. But the little princess in question drove me nuts when I read the book.
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Lizzy Bennet fighting zombies?! I thought it couldn't get more awesome than that. But I was wrong. Because it wasn't awesome at all.
5. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Anna and the French Kiss quickly became a favourite (see below) so I had extremely high expectations for Perkins' follow-up novel. They were not met.
And some I thought I'd like less...
1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. The lame name and lame cover turned out to be hiding an awesome book.
2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Having never read Bray's work before, I didn't realise how amazing she is. I thought this would be a trashy read, and it was so much more.
3. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. I avoided this book for a long time because it looked depressing and sappy. But although it was heartbreaking, I found it strangely uplifting and lovely.
4. The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan. I didn't think I enjoyed verse novels - until I read this one.
5. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Not only is the cover really embarrassing, the plot didn't particularly interest me until I read some great reviews. So I gave it a chance and I was instantly hooked.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Anna and the French Kiss is awesome of course. I did love Lola too although Anna is my fav of the two. I agree with you on A Little Princess. I preferred the movie.
ReplyDeleteI still love the movie :)
DeleteI loved Beauty Queens. This was my first Libby Bray book, as well, and I was surprised at how deep it really was. Great list!
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT
Yes, there's more to it than meets the eye.
DeleteGreat list, Belle! I am totally with you on Seth Grahame-Smith's books, although I didn't really mind P&P&Z so much. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was the one I put on my TTT list. Soooo boring.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Beauty Queens but I do remember your raving review. I absolutely adored The Diviners so I'll definitely need to check it out.
Ever since reading P&P&Z I've avoided his books like the plague!
DeleteI am do with you on P&P&Z. I thought it would be SO fun and awesome, but I didn't even make it halfway through the book.
ReplyDeleteAnd YAY for Beauty Queens and Anna & The French Kiss. Both books that I didn't expect much of but ended up really enjoying :-)
I forced myself through it for some stupid reason. I hated it.
DeleteWhat a cool list. I vow to read Anna one day. But not until I can afford to visit Paris.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Well it's a nice way to "visit" without leaving your house. ;)
DeleteReally great list! I want to read Beauty Queens, but I just haven't had the time! Libbra Bray is an amazing author!!!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten Tuesday
I haven't read any of her other novels yet but I've wanted to ever snice I finished Beauty Queens.
DeleteI really need to read Anna and the French Kiss but ugh that title and cover is so hard to get past.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth it though :)
DeleteSo I've heard! Definitely want to read it eventually. Maybe I'll get it as an ebook, save myself from the cover!
DeleteHa! They've released it with a new cover, too. Not sure if it's available here. But there's always Book Depository.
DeleteIt is funny because some that I are your more list would be on my less list and visa versa. HOWEVER, I totally agree with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
ReplyDeleteEach to their own :)
DeleteHow disappointing was the Fug Girls book! Ugh. I adored If I Stay as well and just saw Gayle Forman at a talk last night where I got to fangirl. :) I still need to read my first Libba Bray too. I've heard great things about Beauty Queens.
ReplyDeleteSo disappointing! I had such high hopes.
DeleteI'm so jealous you saw Gayle Foreman!
And I think you'd really like Beauty Queens.
I put of reading Anna for a loooong time. It looked like something I would never read. But I love the new cover!
ReplyDeleteWww.booknerdsjourney.blogspot.com
The new cover is so much better than the old one.
DeleteI put off reading Anna for the longest time - really lame title and a very unattractive cover that didn't do it justice at all. Was amazed by how much I loved it!
ReplyDeleteMe too! It's one of my faves now.
Deleteso i LOVED anna so much, and couldnt get into lola at all (se disappointed and damn unexpected as it felt like everyone was loving lola but me...)
ReplyDeleteand DITTO for the queen of attolia. everyone told me to hang in there and i would fall in love. but it really did not happen for me. :/
i need to try the weight of water. i ADORE verse novels x
I felt exactly the same about Lola! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt meh about QOF. I liked the next book much more.
DeleteI didn't expect to love Anna either.. I was so judgey about that cover, haha! I was actually shocked by how much I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteMe too, I thought it looked so lame. I was wrong!
DeleteYay for Haymitch! I'm sorry to hear you didn't like A Little Princess- I adored it when I read it a few years ago, but then I didn't like The Weight of Water. I'm glad to read you ended up liking If I stay more than you expected- did you read the second book?
ReplyDeleteYes, I looooved Where She Went.
Delete